Turkeys have always been a curious lot. They usually start gobbling as soon as the sun comes up in the morning. Most gobblers fly down from their roost and keep right on gobbling. If he knows that he has his hen’s attention, he should just take care of business; instead, he just keeps right on gobbling--sometimes even double and triple gobbling. But the inevitable always happens: not only does he call up a hen, he also calls up a hunter. If he didn't try to have the last word, he wouldn’t have Mr. Hunter fixing to pull the trigger on him.

Speaking up just seems to be something every male does, regardless of the species. Down in our neck of the woods, when a man speaks past what is appropriate, we say he is “running his head”. Now to be honest; I’ve done a little gobbling in my lifetime. Heck, on a good day, I’ve even been known to double and triple gobble myself. I’ve also had that proverbial trigger pulled on me by someone that I just offended. Almost always, I would have been better off to take the cue from my hen when she puts the turkey-eye on me, but I have to learn the hard way.

Now I’d be willing to bet that most of you are concerned about the stewardship of our natural resources. In a discussion of the management of these resources, there is always an opportunity for disagreement and that’s okay, but don't start “running your head” and let the discussion escalate out of control. Nobody wins and the land suffers. If you do own land, just remember to be a good steward. If you don’t own any land, you may want to include some land in your investment portfolio, and be on the front line in the stewardship of our natural resources.

If you do start "running your head," unlike turkeys, you have the chance to make things right. It starts with eating a slice of humble pie, and admit that you have been wrong. Humble pie is the worst pie I have ever eaten in my life; after a couple of slices, I'm through. Next, fold your tail feathers down and apologize, but remember, nothing ruins a good apology like an excuse. If you’re in the wrong, apologize and move on; it’s up to the other person to accept it or not. Either way, you have done your part to rectify the situation.

You might say that I’m a Reformed Gobbler…okay, a Recovering Gobbler, but I digress. The next time you have respectively made your point, move on and resist the urge to double and triple gobble. All this does is to escalate the tenor of the discussion to an all out argument. Then nobody wins and everybody suffers.